BLACKBURN Rovers great Bryan Douglas has paid a warm tribute to his late team-mate, Ken Taylor, who recently passed away.

Taylor, who was 85, proved a loyal servant during his 14-year Ewood Park career after moving from his native north east following a successful trial.

A steady right-back, he made 233 appearances for the club, the first of which came in the same season as Douglas made his Rovers debut, in a 2-1 home loss to Leeds United on December 4, 1954.

Taylor joined Morecambe in 1964 but remained in East Lancashire, settling in Langho and helping his wife Gladys, who he met in 1950, run Taylor’s Cake Shop in Little Harwood.

Douglas, 81, said: “Ken came down from the north east, we played together in the A team and we grew up together.

“I progressed into the first team and shortly after that he followed. He was a great friend, I had fond memories of him, and I was very sad to hear of his loss.

“Val and Ronnie Clayton were very good friends with Ken and Gladys and they kept me posted.

“He was a steady right-back who never let us down. He lost his place, if I remember rightly, to Dave Whelan and then to John Bray, but he still played quite of lot of games for the club and he was here quite a few years.

 “He was quite a character as well. He will be missed.”